Who is Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton? 5 interesting facts about Namibian all-rounder who scored the fastest T20I hundred
Namibian all-rounder Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton made history earlier today (February 27) as he smashed the fastest century in T20I cricket history. Playing for Namibia against Nepal in the first match of the tri-series, Jan aggregated 101 runs off 36 balls. He took only 33 deliveries to reach his century.
With this knock, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton broke Kushal Malla's record. Malla had scored a century off 34 balls against Mongolia during the Asian Games men's cricket tournament last year in Hangzhou.
Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton's whirlwind knock consisted of 11 fours and eight sixes. He came out to bat at number five when Namibia's score was 62/3 after 10.4 overs. His unbelievable innings guided his side to 206/4 in 20 overs.
In the second innings, Jan also picked up two wickets and helped Namibia win the match by 20 runs. In this listicle, we will look at the five things that cricket fans should know about the new owner of the fastest T20I ton world record.
#1 Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton was born in 2001
Jan is just 22 years and 349 days old. He was born on March 15, 2001 in Namibia, and he studied at the Paul Roos Gimnasium. Having represented Namibia at the U-15 level, the all-rounder is now making his nation proud at the senior level.
He made his international debut back in the year 2021, but his first noteworthy batting performance came earlier today against Nepal.
#2 Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton has played against Pakistan and India
Not many fans would remember that Jan was a part of the Namibian squad that played in T20 World Cup 2021. In fact, he even featured in Namibia's playing XI for their historic battles against Pakistan and India.
He remained not out on seven runs off seven balls against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi while conceding 20 runs in his two wicketless overs. Against India, Jan lost his wicket to Ravichandran Ashwin after scoring five runs. He bowled four overs in that contest and returned with figures of 0/31.
#3 Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton has trained at the Qalandars High Performance Center in Pakistan
After playing for Namibia in T20 World Cup, Jan received an opportunity to train at the Qalandars High Performance Center. It is an initiative by Pakistan Super League champions Lahore Qalandars.
While Jan is yet to earn a contract from the Lahore Qalandars, he shared on Instagram that he learned a lot at the team's High Performance Center.
#4 Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton has played for Hucknall Cricket Club in the UK
Apart from Pakistan, Jan also has the experience of playing cricket in the United Kingdom. Last September, Jan posted a picture on Instagram of himself playing red-ball cricket for Hucknall Cricket Club. In the caption, he wrote:
"First UK stint and what an excellent 6 months it was. 💪 Thanks to everyone over at @hucknallcc for making me feel home from the get go! Not the season we would’ve wanted but nonetheless I’m proud of what we managed to achieve during a tough and frustrating season."
#5 Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton represented Namibia in T20 World Cup 2022
The young all-rounder even made it to Namibia's squad for T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. He played in all three matches for the team but scored only 21 runs and returned wicketless.
Having smashed the fastest T20I hundred in men's cricket, the Namibian star will now aim to make it big when his nation plays in the 2024 T20 World Cup.